While getting the kit together for a six-day Eco Challenge can be as tough as the race itself, one- and two-day races are perfect for the weekend warrior who dimly remembers owning a bike to go to school on. While international-level teams

search for shorts, top, socks etc. If the drawer starts to overflow, sort through it for any clothes which you haven't worn in the past year and give them away to a jumble sale.Lay out your kit If you run in the morning, lay out your running kit the night

're great for speed sessions, short races, steady runs and even marathon racing. In fact, find the right pair of performance trainers and you might just have found the running shoe for all occasions. Here are eight of the best.Adidas Climacool Rotterdam

You have to pity race organisers. They go to great pains to have someone ride round their course measuring it with a Jones-Oerth counter, then 200 runners turn up wearing wrist-mounted GPS computers and claim the route is 300 metres too long. Speed

-one was disappointed – at least not until they had to give them back.Bowflex 5 Series, £1,299 Running area 51cm x 153cmMotor 2.5HP Continuous Duty Top speed 12mphContact www.nautilus.comThe Bowflex 5 was really easy to use and quick to start, with big, well

, well-designed pack. Contact www.ospreypacks.com Camelbak Octane 8, £79.99 This is a compact but versatile pack, which could just as easily be used for a long race as a commute home. It's very comfortable, with well-padded straps and waist

that the top of the shoe is quite high (like a walking shoe), and it didn’t feel that flexible for such a light shoe.Great for Short races on wet, muddy groundContact www.berghaus.co.ukEcco Mudslinger, £80 Weight 466gThe Mudslinger is a heavy-duty shoe that

A round-up of the best performance shoes on the market to help leave your rivals trailing... Asics Gel DS Trainer XIII, £85 Weight 286gDS Trainers have long been heralded as an ideal racing shoe for stability-shoe wearers, or an everyday trainer

the wide opening bag, then there’s an expanding back pocket, a zippable top pocket, mesh side stows and a removable hip pocket and phone holder. Like all three packs here, though, the zip closure of the main pack means that, although it’s easy to fill, you

yourself with a GPS-powered distance monitoring system.Well, yes, running can be a little pricey. But there are plenty of kit bargains out there that can keep your favourite pastime your most economical. We've gathered together a few examples of top